The vitrine is split equally. One half contains a steel barbecue covered in raw meat; underneath the barbecue, trays of maggots are inserted where the coals should be. The hatched flies pass through a four inch circular hole, so that the vitrine is reminiscent of the face of a die, in the glass between the two halves. In the other half the abandoned remnants of a typical family’s outdoor meal is presented, a cow’s head lies beneath the table. An Insect-O-Cutor is positioned above the table, it’s tray removed so that the dead flies fall into the food. Hirst describes the work as an exploration into human attempts at “trying to isolate the horror from our lives and remove it.”[2]

[1] Damien Hirst,‘We’re Here for a Good Time, not a Long Time’, interview with Alastair Sooke, The Telegraph, 2011